Compton Sprinkle

Mrs. ODell

Wholehearted Analysis

5/9/2017

The Growth and Transformation of Drake Through More Life

One of Drakes most differing works, More Life, was recently released to the public on

March 18, 2017, and has truly surprised his listeners. This unfamiliar side of Drake, seen through

his newly assembled playlist, is something comparatively different and quite unexpected to the

Drake that Ive listened to previously. Prior to the release of this album, I, along with his

audience, had experienced Drakes creation of some of the greatest hip-hop tracks that carried his

unique voice and the usual insults to others in the industry. In the past, Drakes distinct voice and

high-rating singles on the pop and hip-hop charts distinguished him as one of the most successful

rappers. Like a male version of Taylor Swift, his verses are laced with insults and the similar

sardonic tone towards his competition.

Originally, I dont think anyone would assume that the 15-year-old actor on Teen Nick

would become the artist he is today. Getting his start on the Canadian television show,

Degrassi, gave him a great advancement into the industry, but still left room for Drake to prove

himself as a singer and rapper. Although Drakes earliest albums never reached the level of

success and ratings as his later albums do today, he has gained a progressively rising audience

and stardom. For instance, one of his earliest albums, So Far Gone, passed just about 74,000

sales in its first week (Drake by the Numbers). For an emerging artist, this is a considerable total.

However, comparatively, it is just a small fraction to the amount of sales he is making today.

But how exactly is his new work different and how has it changed?
 One of the most obvious differences between Drakes previous albums and his newest

playlist is, well, exactly that. His newest work is a playlist and all of his previous works were

albums. A playlist would be defined as, a list of recordings to be played on the air by a radio

station (Playlist). However an album refers to, one or more recordings produced as a single

unit (Album). In literature, it would be the difference between a collection of short stories and a

novel. But, the real question is why is this new collection of songs considered a playlist and not

an album? Some, including Max Mertens, an editor for THUMP Canada, have speculated

Drakes reasoning for this choice could be for more attention for his label, an acknowledgement

to streaming services, or even to divert from the negative attention of his last album (Mertens).

Of course, however, no one, besides Drake, undoubtedly knows the rationale behind More Life

being a playlist rather than an album.

Drake has significantly modified his work throughout his career, achieving more and

more success with each of his productions. These modifications are many and undeniably

complicated. Furthermore, he has certainly not accomplished these modifications alone.

Returning to one of his first albums, So Far Gone, he only had a few collaborators working

with him - four to be exact - to help write, produce, mix and create his album (Espinoza). But

now, as a multi-million dollar rapper, he has had dozens of collaborators and partners help him

with his new playlist, More Life. This instance of expansion has allowed him to create not only

more pieces in general, but also more favored songs amongst his audience.

If we take a closer look at which of his albums are more popular than others and why, an

important factor comes to light. Within his songs, Drake occasionally switches from singing to

rapping. This modern method has become particularly popular amongst rappers and can display

an interesting trend with the popularity of their music. The songs within Drakes 2011 album,
Take Care, that contain slightly more singing than rapping, have been some of the most

popular in the pop charts out of all of his work (Drake by the Numbers). Despite this trend,

Drakes More Life has far more rapping than singing. One of the reasons he may have chosen

to include more rapping is his possible desire to be genuine to the rap industry. An avid rap

listener, Lauren Coffey, actually prefers his work that contains more rap. For example, she

reasons, Singing dilutes the rap verses and down plays his music from hip hop to pop

(Coffey). Listeners who prefer rap to singing create a minority of potential purchasers, however,

this would explain why his blended albums of rap and singing produce more sales.

With the increased use of rap in his music, it allows a considerable amount of time for

Drake to address more subjects. In his past albums, there is usually a consistent theme regarding

his position at the top of the rap game or bashing other rappers in the industry. However, with

nearly every song on this playlist, Drake continues to rap about his relationships, from friends,

girlfriends, and even family. Although the main subject of a song may involve one theme or

another, he links the effects and struggles that come with relationships. Specifically, in one of his

most popular songs off his new playlist, Passionfruit, which primarily describes his struggles

being on the road, his first verse also reflects the issues that come with long-distance

relationships: Tension/Between us just like picket fences/You got issues that I wont mention for

now/Cause were fallin apart (Graham). His use of the simile of picket fences as tension can

be interpreted literally as well as figuratively. On one side, the fence could be seen as the

physical divider between two people, and, on the other, it could be seen as the emotional divider

that can split a relationship. This format of rap facilitates Drakes ability to discuss any issue at

any length.
 With all of these differences and varying factors, Drake has not only produced an

extremely different playlist but has also shown how much he has changed as an artist. He has

risen in popularity, fame, success, and numerous other qualities. His work also demonstrates

these elements through attributes including production value, structure, and lyrical content. His

work and he, himself, are at their highest points ever and continue to do extraordinarily well in

sales and the industry.

 Works Cited

Album. Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/album.

Drake by the Numbers. Complex, Complex Media, 2016,

www.complex.com/music/drake-by-the-numbers. Infographic.

Espinoza, Joshua. Check Out the Full Credits for Drake More Life Album. Complex,

Complex Media, 19 Mar. 2017, www.complex.com/music/2017/03/drakes-more-life-

first-week-streaming-numbers.

---. Drakes More Life Has Surpassed Views in First-Week Streaming Numbers.

Complex, Complex Media, 25 Mar. 2017, www.complex.com/music/2017/03/drakes-

more-life-first-week-streaming-numbers.

Graham, Aubrey Drake. Passionfruit. More Life, performance by Aubrey Drake

Graham, 2017.

Mertens, Max. The A-Z Guide to Every Song Sampled on Drakes More Life. Thump,

Vice, 23 Mar. 2017, thump.vice.com/en_us/article/drake-more-life-samples.

Playlist. Merriam Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/playlist.